Monday 5 October 2026 · Edition of the day

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The Skeptic's Daily

The day's biggest stories, taken apart. For each one: what is actually established, what is only asserted, the questions worth asking — and a plausibility score for the central claim, given everything currently known.

Stories
1
Average plausibility
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It rates how well the core claim is evidenced — not how important the story is, nor whether it is good or bad news.
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01ScienceAfrica

Ancient Egyptian skull fractures suggest possible sacrifice of royal servants

Research reported by the Guardian supports a hypothesis, not a definitive account of how the individuals died.

The Guardian reports research on remains from the royal cemetery of Umm el-Qa'ab near Abydos. Fractures found in several ancient skulls suggest that court officials and craftspeople may have been sacrificed when their ruler died. The report presents the findings as support for an earlier Egyptologist's theory.

What holds up

  • ✓The report identifies the cemetery from which the studied remains came.
  • ✓It describes fractures in several skulls as the physical evidence underlying the interpretation.

What doesn't yet

  • ?The sacrifice interpretation remains qualified: the summary says the individuals may have been sacrificed.
  • ?The excerpt supplies no sample size, analytical methods or assessment of alternative explanations for the fractures.

Ask before you share

  • →How did researchers establish when and how the fractures occurred?
  • →What evidence connects the deaths to a ruler's death rather than other causes?

Sources & original reporting

  1. [1]The Guardian · Published 5 Oct 2026 · theguardian.com